A quick glance at Keir Starmer’s parliamentary declarations will tell you the Prime Minister is more likely to be spotted at this season’s Saracens matches than Eddie Jones. Almost £2,000 worth of tickets for the club’s Tulip Lounge were among the recent gifts accepted by Starmer and now Itoje has extended a personal captain’s invitation.
‘I wouldn’t mind speaking to Keir if someone can set that up!’ said Itoje, speaking at his first press conference since taking over from Owen Farrell as Saracens skipper. ‘I’ll happily go to No 10 and lean on what he has to say!’
Itoje is less likely to banging down the door of his former England coach for advice. During his time at Twickenham, Jones described in his book how Itoje was too ‘inward looking’ to ever be considered captaincy material.
It was on par with Jose Mourinho’s humiliation of Luke Shaw during a Manchester United press conference, telling his left back that he needed to ‘change his football brain’ to fulfil his potential.
Jones’ words have stalked Itoje ever since, shaping perceptions about the forward’s leadership potential. Those at Saracens, including director of rugby Mark McCall, strongly disagreed and now Itoje has the chance to re-direct the narrative.
Itoje extended an invite to Starmer to come to a Saracens match and is keen to speak with him
Former England coach Jones claimed Itoje was too ‘inward looking’ to be captain
Jones’ words hurt but Itoje now has a chance to prove his former coach wrong at Sarancens
‘I felt that was a wrong diagnosis of who I am,’ said Itoje. ‘Most people who know me, most people who read those comments who knew me, would say that was an inaccurate conclusion to who I am as a person.
‘I guess it was unfortunate that your coach would say something like that about you but in life not everyone is going to see the things that way you see it. Even if it’s wrong, some people will come to a different conclusion. That is part of the parcel.
‘For me, reflection is a really important part of what I try to do. I like to think I have a pretty accurate assessment of how I am, what I like, what makes me tick.’
What about Jones’ claims that he sent Itoje for acting lessons to improve his communication skills? ‘I can confirm that I never went to acting lessons. We had a psychologist at the time. I worked with the psychologist at the time in terms of how to communicate more clearly and get a message across in a more effective manner. I was not waltzing across a stage and practising my Shakespearean prose!’
Jones was more comfortable with the authoritarian leadership style of Farrell. Itoje has a softer presence off the pitch – perhaps more in-tune with the new generation – and has played 30 Tests since Jones’ clumsy remarks in 2021.
He has become a key figure under Steve Borthwick and McCall sounded him out about the Saracens captaincy after the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand. ‘We met at a coffee shop back in Harpenden, we spoke a bit about the squad, the new players, the direction, and then he asked me if I would consider leading the team.’
It was Itoje’s second ‘yes’ in quick succession. A few days earlier, he proposed to his now fiancée, Mimi Fall, marking a summer of significant landmarks. ‘We went to Nigeria for two weeks and we went to Ghana for four days. We went to this beautiful aqua-safari in Ada, which is on the coast, about two hours from Accra. It was a beautiful resort and I popped the question there.
‘My yes to Mark wasn’t as quick as my fiancee’s yes to me! I like to think that even if these events didn’t happen this summer, I still would have been mature and still building into that stage of my life, but, yes, both on and off the field things I guess things have taken a step up this summer and I am ready to go into the next chapter of life and rugby.’
Itoje proposed to his partner, Mimi Fall, during the summer while they holidayed in Ghana
The pair holidayed in Nigeria and then in Ghana as Itoje proposed to Fall in Ada
A successful season with Saracens could put Itoje into the debate for the Lions captaincy
It has been a summer of maturation and now a successful season could catapult Itoje into the debate for the wide-open Lions captaincy. There is no standout candidate for the role on next summer’s tour of Australia so Itoje has an outside shot to follow in the footsteps of fellow locks such as Martin Johnson, Paul O’Connell and Alun Wyn Jones.
As for the national team, Itoje remains a loyal lieutenant of his team-mate Jamie George. ‘That position is held by my friend and team-mate Jamie George. So I’m not commenting on another man’s job. I’ve barely started this one. I want to give my best to this and see where we go. I want to be myself and lead in my own way. I want to lead by example and make sure my performance level stays high.’
Rallying his team-mates to match his own intensity will be the key. If he can master the art of captaincy then his status in north London will be elevated to another level. Like Starmer, Itoje is an Arsenal supporter and he does not need to look too far beyond his local surroundings for his leadership idols.
‘I am a big Arsenal fan,’ he said. ‘During the 2000s, Patrick Viera was in his prime and in his pomp. He was a big hero of mine. He was tough. Extremely tough. He was a no-nonsense player, he was elegant. I loved his spats with Roy Keane in the tunnel. He was graceful, he didn’t seem like the loudest man in the room but he had a presence about him. He knew he had the respect of his teammates and he was a winner. He was captain of Arsenal during their most successful period… what’s not to like?’
Now, at the prime age of 29, Itoje is hoping to prove his doubters wrong and establish himself among the most influential figures in the capital.
